Monday, October 25, 2010

Training Is Going Good

I have been successful at staying the course of my goal.  I signed up to run my first 5K on 11/07/10.  I'm so excited!  Since I last blogged I've lost 5 pounds and that is using the manual medical doctors office scale.  It was just the boost I needed to keep my eye on the goal.

Today I wanted to get a run in outside because after today I don't think it's going to be nice enough to run outside for quite a while.  However my left knee had other plans.  It was hurting and I don't want to over do it so I instead ran on the elliptical.  In 48 minutes I killed 531 calories, and ran 4 miles.

Off the topic...I think I'm the only person in my gym that does not use a sweat towel while working out.  I figure if I'm going to work out I want to feel and own every drip of sweat running down my face and my body.  It's a reminder of hard work being done and the melting of fat off my body.

Last night my husband said to me, "What if you get so skinny and you won't find me attractive any longer?"  That kind of made me sad that he would think that but then I realized all he's ever known me as is a skinny girl in a fat body, not a skinny girl in a skinny body.  I assured him that I would never not find him attractive.  OMG...he had the most beautiful face, best heart, best eyes...You just look at his eyes and they radiate love, kindness, trust, humor, and the list is endless.  Plus he has a great ass (and yes I said ass) and I love his legs.  He's just so hot and thank God he's all mine FOREVER!

OK it's late and I'm super tired. I've been playing around trying to learn photoshop...Uggg that's a tough one.  That is almost as hard as training to run a marathon.

Night

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Training

Well I've officially started to train for my half.  It's been announced that it's on 10/16/11.  I'm so excited!!!

I started training on Monday.  I did a run/walk on the treadmill for a half hour.  I would run for 60 seconds and walk for 90.  Tuesday I did the elliptical for 40 minutes and did some walking out on the trails at work. Wednesday I ran outside...woah it is so different to run outside than inside.  I loved it but it was hard.  I will run again outside tomorrow too.

My big goal is to run the half and my small goal along the way is to run several 5k's, 10k's, 20k in June and maybe another 5k or 10k and then the big dance on 10/16/11.  So I have small attainable goals in the process not just the BIG goal that is out there 360ish days from now.

I'm so excited and honestly kind of proud of myself.  I am starting to see this old body shrink and I am loving it!  I might just have to change the name of my blog...Nahh  I love it.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

And the answer is....

to half marathon.  I'm doing it.  Starting 10/18/10 I star official training for the Des Moines Half Marathon in 2011.  Today, Anna (my daughter), my friend Jenny and I volunteered to take off time chips and hand out metals to the runners as they finished their 5k, half marathon, relay or full marathon and it was so inspiring.  How can I not do this.  Plus this skinny girl wants to once and for all put this fat body to rest.

I wish I could figure out how to share pics from today.. Chances are if you're reading this you're a friend on facebook because I've told anyone but a few facebook friends about this blog.  So for pictures from today see my Des Moines Marathon 2010 album on facebook.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Half Marathon or Not?

As you know I'm doing this calorie challenge and so far I'm doing very well.  I'm surprised at how well I'm doing actually.  I'm impressed with myself. 

This weekend is the Des Moines half and full marathon.  My friend, Jenny, was supposed to run the half this year however she hurt her ankle and can not run so the two of us are going to volunteer to remove time tags from the runners shoes and hand out metals once they cross the finish line. 

So in my quest to no longer be a skinny girl trapped in this fat body I'm strongly considering going for the half marathon this time 2011.  My good friend in NY who is my inspiration has gone from over 300 pounds to 199 (goal is 160ish) in a year and she's ran a half and her husband has ran a full marathon.   This same friend has told me that she would really like to see me become a "true" runner. 

I used to run cross country in high school.  I was never very fast but I always finished.  That is my new goal...to not be the fastest but to finish..  Slow and steady wins the race...

I need to think on this more and talk to Andy about it....

Stay tuned for final decision.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Are you there blog...it's me, Tiffany

Hello old friend.  I haven't forgot about you.   I just haven't had time to write.  I'm trying to get in at least 8 hours of sleep a night because I read that people that get 8 hours of sleep lose 57% more weight.

So the last week in a nutshell.  All good except for Saturday.  Andy and I just celebrated 12 years of wedded bliss and Saturday was my "cheat" day.  I met my fitness goals, my goal was to burn 3500 calories and I managed to burn almost 3800!  Woo Hoo!!

Today I went to the gym determined to meet my 500 daily calorie burn and I did it.  I did a 15 minute abdominal class and did 40 minutes on the elliptical.  I wanted to quit about 10 minutes in but I didn't.  I was on the elliptical next to a co-worker who needs to lose weight for his blood pressure and we kind of motivate the other to get in the gym and get our sweat on.  He was going at a good pace so I just matched up with him.  In 40 minutes I "ran" 3.5 miles and burned more than 425.  425 was my goal for the elliptical but I did more.  Woo Hoo.

So doing good.  I'm going to measure tomorrow.  I think it's been a month since I vowed to change and that means time for measurements and pictures of progress.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Candy = ICK


My days of candy are over!  I have gone with out sweets for so long and today I ate 6 milk duds after I ate lunch and I felt like I was drunk.  I'm crashing hard from the sugar and my body is just wanting to lay down and pass out.  My stomach hurts.  There is nothing good that came from me eating 6 milk duds.  My body for the first time EVER is revolting against bad food.  Now if I can just get my mind better at it.  Man this food thing can mess with your head. 
 
The good news is that I broke a personal record today.  I did a half hour on the ARC trainer and I burned 326 calories in a half hour.  I've never done more than 15 minutes on the ARC.  That has terrified me.  Well I won over my fear and while I'm not anxious to get on it again tomorrow I will get back on it and go for a half hour and maybe longer.  The ARC trainer is proving to be somewhat of a vendetta with me like the elliptical was.  When I first started in my fitness/weight loss journey 3 years ago I remember I was terrified of that thing and could only start out at 3 minutes.  Now it's my favorite thing and if I had the time I would do it for an hour!
 
More good news…I really don't see this skinny girl being trapped in a fat girls body for long.  I'm so glad I signed up for this 6 week challenge to burn 500 calories a day or walk 10,000 steps.  It's only day 2 but it's going great and I love how I'm feeling…other than the way I feel after eating a handful of milk duds.  Uggg

Tonight my wonderful husband made us the best chicken on the grill and green beans.  I was craving milk too so I treated myself to 8oz.  I know I'm not over my calories, fats or carbs so why not drink something that's good for me.  

It feels so good to eat "clean", it's like my body saying "Thank You".
 

Monday, October 4, 2010

Fun Size Butterfinger

Today I decided I was going to treat myself to a fun size Butterfingers.  I decide rather than shove the small treat down in one or two bites I was going to take a tiny bite, really focus on how good it tastes, and just think of the small joy it gave me.  Funny thing happened..not funny ha, ha but you know what I mean.  So I'm 3 bites in and I realize this isn't as good as it once was.  It was great the first two bites but after that it was just to sweet and just didn't taste like I wanted it to.

I work next to several "Betty Crocker's" and one gal brought in chocolate chip muffins and the other rice crispy treats with fruit loops.  I couldn't believe myself when I looked at them and really kind of turned my nose up to them.  Not in a snotty way but in a way that I thought I don't want to even put that into my body.  That will do me no good.  I've resisted them all day.  It's 2:15 and they are still sitting there and by now in the past I would have had at least 2 or 3 of them. 

It's wonderful how you realize what your body needs and what it doesn't need and when you actually listen to her and feed her what she needs she's really a lot nicer to you! 

Today started my 6 week challenge at the gym today.  I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, burned 225 and did a 15 minute core class and that was about 50 calories burnt.  So far today I've walked 3840 steps.  I've had an over all very healthy food day with the exception of the fun size Butterfinger. 
 

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are (Live Z100)

PS

I forgot to mention in earlier posts this week.  Still doing great on my goal of not eating candy from my co-workers desk.  All work week last week I only had 2 small Tootsie Rolls

Weekend

So I must say I'm kind of proud of myself.  This weekend I will get by with out drinking more oz in wine than water.  It's 7:39am on Sunday and already I've drank a quart of water and 8 oz of coffee!  I'm off after this blog however to get more coffee but not adding bailey's (LOL...I don't have bailey's in the house as it is).

Today I have the honor to spa my mother in law and her red hat ladies.  I can't wait.  Spa-ing feeds my soul!  I love going and educating women (men too) on skin wellness and soon I'll be able to teach more on health wellness.

So for my food choices this weekend...Friday I had a healthy food day.  Not much for dinner, I had a protein bar and water and I went with one of my new spa diva's to help her learn how to get her spa on.  The hostess made this cake that looked AMAZING but I resisted.  I told myself that eating that will not help me in my wellness goals and ultimately my skinny girl goals.  What she did have that I did treat myself to was taco dip and corn chips.  Un-like the old days I only had just enough to satisfy my desire for that vs a HUGE scoop and tons of chips.   I did have a glass of wine as well but again just a glass and not a bottle.

Yesterday for breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal with a few almonds and coffee.  Gotta love the Joe.  I don't drink fancy coffee just black coffee with a little cream and Splenda (I know fake sugar).   I am however a coffee snob...I will only brew Starbucks or Dunkin' Dark at home.  For lunch yesterday we were out and about at the mall with the kids and we went to Wendy's in the food court and I got the chicken, pecan, apple salad.  DELISH...I love that salad.  For dinner last night we had steak on the grill.  I had about 5oz of meat..We had a wonderful salad with home made Italian dressing and I made sure it had more water than EVOO.  Today so far all I've had is water and coffee.  As soon as I'm done blogging I am thinking my body is telling me I need eggs.

I almost forgot...Yesterday my daughter and I went over to my mom's house for a few moments and my mom and I were talking about fitness and her struggles to lose weight.  She had a triple bypass in July and has recovered beautifully.  I'm so proud of her she walks every day and is really watching what she eats too.  Like me (or I like her) she struggles to lose weight.  The scale is not our friend.  Doctors orders she is working out to the point that she really is pushing herself but not so hard.  I told her yesterday that she needs to get with her PT at the gym and tell him/her what her goals are and what restrictions she has due to her heart and have them build a work out plan for her.  I told her the more she sweats and the more gross she is with regards to sweat she will burn more calories and lose more.  I love to sweat and I'm talking the kind of sweat when you're working it out and you're breathing out your mouth and the sweat goes flying across the room.  Yea that's gross but I live for it.  I really love working out!  So I'm excited for my mom.  She has lost 2 pounds this week and I think she will go to her PT at the gym and really work it out.

So enough of my verbal ADD....Until next time...spa-thee-well and eat-thee-well

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Better day tomorrow

Well today went to food hell in a hand basket.  It started off great but when it came time for dinner things went south.  Thursday nights Anna has dance class and it's always a hurry up meal.  We didn't have anything planned for tonight so we ordered pizza hut.  The good news is tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start.

Didn't get my fitness on today either.  Just started my period and the first day is the worst so I decided today would be a "rest" day.

Here's tomorrow!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What a day...

WOW what a day this was today.  First I go to the gym blow my personal record away on the elliptical then I need to still burn 117 calories to meet my 500 calories for the day and I emailed my trainer and said what do I need to do and she said tonight is beautiful take your kids for a walk around and do a mile and you'll be at 500 calories for today. 

I called Andy on the way home from work and said I'm heading to daycare to get the kids and I'm going to take them for a walk around Cooper Creek pond.  It's 1.2 miles around.  I asked him if he wanted to join us.  Of course he met us there.  The kids had races while Andy and I got some chat time while getting our fitness in and just being able to connect as a family with nature is just blissful.  I loved it.  After our walk Andy went home to get a jump on dinner (yes my man cooks and loves it and so do I) and the kids and I stopped at the little play area they had.  That was the reward for walking around the pond. 

Anna says to me...Mom I loved tonight.  It was so fun to just be out there as a family and I feel healthy.  That just made my heart go a pitter patter...We have been on this healthy life kick for a while.  Granted we've done it better lip service than we truly have our bodies but it's kind of starting to gel.  I'm kind of getting it and best of all I think Anna is too. 

We've been letting Anna stay up late and watch the Biggest Loser with us and she's really taking it in and has said a thing or two about being healthy and how she's realizing that it's really important on what she puts into her body.  Sure we've said some stuff to her but really she's getting it and wants to live a healthy life. 

Today has been great...now it's time to sleep to get up and do it all over again tomorrow.  Wish me luck. My goal is to burn at least 500 on the ARC trainer in 30 minutes.  My personal longest on the ARC is 15 minutes.  That thing scares the crap out of me.

PS....So far doing awesome on my no chocolate goal!  I did "cheat" today and had a mini tootsie roll.  What was that like 1 calorie and 2 grams of sugar.  I thought of Bethanny Frankel the whole time while eating it.  Just enjoyed it for the little pleasure it was and really focused on every bite and that was all I needed.  Who knew you didn't need to shove a half bag of tootsie rolls down your face before you realized what you done and then you no longer enjoy that little pleasure.

OK off to bed I go. 

383 / 2.78 / 35

What does that mean you ask…it means in 35 minutes I ran 2.78 miles on the elliptical and burned 383 calories. That is a personal best.

I alluded to yesterday that my gym is starting a 6 week challenge called "Calorie Countdown". We start on October 4th and the challenge is to burn 21,000 calories in the next 6 weeks. That is on average 500 calories a day. So this week I'm doing different things to see what I need to go to get at 500 calories a day. If I do 10,000 steps a day that counts towards the 21,000 calories

To finish my 500 calories for today I'm going to take the kids for a walk tonight after work and we're going to walk a mile. According to my personal trainer that will complete my 500 calories for today.
My ultimate goal is to do more than 500 a day because I really want to get in shape which means my skinny body will appear and the fat body will disappear!

Wish me luck!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Weekends

I love the weekends but boy do I suck at the food thing on the weekends. Friday, Andy and I went out for dinner, then went to a small concert where we drank wine. Saturday, was Jack's 5th birthday and that day I just threw my hands up in the air and forgot I have 100+ pounds to lose. Yesterday was decent but not that great. Today I got on the scale...Umm not a good thing to do. Needless to say I'm now up to 249 pounds. My food choices obviously were not good and the fact that I drank more wine than water I'm sure doesn't help either. The good news on the wine front is that it's red so that's good for me right (HA).

So today is a new day. Today my personal goal is to totally avoid candy from my co-workers desk. She always has the fun sized butterfingers (my personal favorite and weakness), fun sized Kit Kats, Snickers, etc. It is almost 1pm and so far I've avoided them. Only 3 more hours to go. Tomorrow my goal is going to be to avoid them again and up my water in-take.

Oh speaking of water..while Andy and I were out for dinner on Friday the resturant did serve water with cucumber.. OMG that was so good!

Good things are coming my way in terms of my fitness goals and weight loss goals. Starting October 4th my gym is starting a challange called "Calorie Countdown". The goal is to burn 500 calories a day 7 days a week for 6 weeks. That is figured to be 10,000 steps a day. I signed up to do it and I plan on winning. The winner gets a body bug!

If any of my few followers has any suggestions on how to not totally blow it on the weekends I'm all ears.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Day 2

I had my last work one on one work out with my personal trainer today. It was kind of bitter sweet. I really like her and she pushes me with my strength but I'm kind of ready to do that part on my own.

Thankfully the gym at work has a class devoted to strength training so I can do that but I will miss the one on one.

I am journaling every thing that touches my lips and I must say this is tough. This is so much more difficult than I thought. I didn't realize how much junk I feed my body until I started writing it all down. I'm going to need some help in saying no to the sweets.

I swear the candy at the work place is the death of me. I have such a soft spot for chocolate and peanut butter. The chocolate covered peanut butter is the best EVER. I don't get hardly any peanut butter due to Jack's, my son, food allergies.

I'm also trying to apply the principals of "Naturally Thin" into my life but I love it all so much that I eat it down to the end. Why oh why food must you taste so good?

It's late, I had a late night work out, I don't want to eat and I'm hungry.

So long for tonight. I need to get to bed so I can wake up in the AM and eat some protein and drink my Joe...Oh Joe how I love thee

So it begins

This blog was meant to be posted last night, however I was so tired from the night before not being able to sleep that I did not make it down to the computer to post this blog.

Last night after watching the Biggest Loser I vowed and committed my life to change. I know this is so cliché but it's true.

Warning: If you don't want to know how much I weigh then stop reading now.

I am currently 247 pounds as of January 1, 2010 I was 260 pounds. Never have I seen myself as a 240+ pound woman until last night. There was a woman on the show who is married, has 5 kids, one of the 5 are autistic and in the midst of life she put herself last and is now 240+ because of a lack of taking care of herself. I saw this woman who weighs about the same as me, in the same life path (granted I only have 2 kids not 5 but I do have one that is autistic), has a fun spirit like me, wonderful husband like me, great life like me and is fat like me. For the first time I looked at the woman on the TV and saw what 240+ pounds looks like on me. I was disgusted and started to just sob. While laying in bed with my wonderful husband, Andy, I asked him if I look like those girls on TV that weigh 240+. He of course said no and I believe him in my head and in my heart but I know that others (not him) see me as that girl on TV that weighs 240+. I was sad for about a minute, got my good cry in and then became inspired. I could not sleep at all last night from being so excited that I got up and typed out a HUGE email to a dear friend who has gone before me who is on her journey not only to lose weight but to truly lead her whole life as a healthy person and not obese.

I only have about 117 pounds to lose (only, like it's just going to be a breeze to get it off and I should be down 117 pounds in a few months…HA). Just think of the hundreds of thousands of others that have so much to lose and how deflating and defeating it could be. It's truly heartbreaking.

The good thing about my journey is that I'm the self proclaimed "fittest fat girl on the planet". In February 2010 I climbed 1100 steps for the American Lung Association in honor of one of my girlfriends mom who passed away to a rare lung disease. I trained to run a 5K, but I didn't get to run it due to illness, I work out on average 4 times a week. The more I sweat the more I love myself and life.

Food along with millions of others is my problem. I don't have a favorite food it's all my favorite. All food good for you and all food bad for you. The ironic thing is that I truly crave good for you food over bad for you food.

So today, 09/22/10, with out even thinking (probably due to being tired because I stayed up late to type out an email and then I was to excited to sleep) go to our little coffee shop here at work and think, a White Mocha sounds good. So I get it. NEVER do I drink foo foo coffee, it's usually just regular coffee. Ugg what was I thinking. Then I proceed off and on through out the day to eat candy from a co-workers desk. They really need to outlaw candy on the desk at work. Not even thinking about it honestly. Uggg…the good news is I get to start over with the next thing that I put up to my lips. I can promise you, I will not be complacent again with my food choices especially since I've vowed to God, myself, and my family that from here forward we are going to not only lose weight but most importantly be healthy and not be a tragic statistic!

One of my girlfriends who was so close to having lap band surgery (I strongly considered this route as well) and at the last minute she decided she was going to give it one last shot on her own with out help from pills or surgery (this is the one I emailed last night). Needless to say she has lost over 100 pounds and is an athlete! She has always inspired and moved me. Not just because she's lost weight but in her life in general.

So my plans for this blog is to use it as some what of a journey for myself and a way to keep myself in check and not wonder why am I doing all this work and not losing weight. If I question that then I will have this blog to reference back to so I can see patterns. Chances are I will not share this blog with many so I won't most likely have a herd of followers but I do want to keep this as a blog for myself so I can physically write, see and share my life not only as a thin girl trying to get out of this fat body.

So get a water and some celery and enjoy the journey with me!